1
Richard Cozzens
1Department of Engineering and Technology, Southern Utah University, College of Science and Engineering, Cedar City Utah, 351 University Boulevard, USA
Keywords: Web-based, curriculum, online, quality, effective, rural, engineering, technology, high school, secondary education.
ABSTRACT
Rural high schools have traditionally lacked access to the most up-to-date engineering and technology curriculum and teaching resources. Recently, the use of communication technology has allowed improved access to learning resources where they would otherwise not be available. With relatively standard technology and limited travel requirements, recent developments have enabled changes to curriculum delivery that should not only provide materials but significantly improve the learning experience. However, the effectiveness of these new media and teaching practices, and their ability to meet learning outcomes, remains largely unanswered.
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based technology education program Southern Utah University Department of Engineering and Technology developed a pilot program. The course was taught using three different curriculum delivery methods. The first delivery method was the traditional face-to-face classroom setting. The second curriculum delivery method was a hybrid format. The third method was purely online. There were three main objectives to the pilot program. The first was to deliver the same curriculum using three different delivery methods. The second objective was to compare the results of the three delivery methods using the Rubric for Assessing Interactive Qualities (RAIQ) Rubric and Final Grade. RIAQ Rubric was reviewed from five different perspectives; the students in the class, students external to the class, instructors, instructional designers and administrators. The third objective was to determine if the data collected from the different instruments provided conclusive evidence of an effective course.
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INTRODUCTION
Engineering and technology programs in rural high schools have always struggled (Howley et al., 2012). Some of the main challenges are discussed below. There are several barriers to delivery of appropriate technology and engineering content in rural high schools. One barrier is the small numbers of students available for recruitment into engineering and technology programs. Another challenge for rural educators includes the breadth of their teaching loads. It is not uncommon to find educators delivering five different subjects (Howley et al., 2012). With such teaching loads, it is difficult to maintain a level of expertise or certification for all subject areas. Additionally, the cost for maintaining a technology lab and keeping a certified instructor can be prohibitive, especially when considering the small size of many rural technology programs. Such challenges can prevent high school students from having the same engineering and technology learning opportunities that are provided in more densely populated urban areas.
In order to address the unique needs of rural high schools, SUU (Southern Utah University) piloted a web-based engineering and technology course. The course was offered as a concurrent enrollment course. Concurrent enrollment courses are when a high school student can receive both college and high school credit for the course. The course was taught using the traditional face-to-face format, hybrid and online course delivery methods.
The curriculum used for the three different delivery methods was the same curriculum. The curriculum is organized and accessed through the Canvas LMS. The curriculum provides remote access to the professor for via email and Gotomeeting multimedia video conferencing. This novel program now offers students in rural high schools similar engineering and technology learning opportunities as students in larger metropolitan areas.
Overview of this Research
This research started with the publication of the first CATIA V5 (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application). The CATIA V5 Workbook was first developed in 2001. CATIA V5 is software used in the design work in the automotive industry as well as the aerospace industry. The first web- based CATIA V5 Workbook Website was published in the year 2003. Data regarding the effectiveness of these workbooks in improving student learning has been collected for 14 years. The lessons learned from this data has been applied to the university engineering and technology curriculum at SUU and has been used in schools across the state of Utah. The following information provides a more detailed outline of each research phase.
Phase I
The original research on web-based engineering and technology curriculum started in 2001 with the publication of the CATIA V5 Workbook. The motivation was to provide more CATIA V5 solid modeling training to practitioners around the world remotely, eliminating the cost of time and travel while increasing the knowledge and skills of educators. This prompted the development of the CATIA V5 Workbook website, which at one time had up to 2,000 subscribers from around the world. Data was collected from the subscribers which were used to make improvements to the website and content.
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Phase II
The data obtained in the initial research phase was applied to the engineering and technology curriculum at SUU. Additionally, SUU offered concurrent college credit to high schools within the region. A majority of the region consisted of small rural high schools in which engineering and technology programs were in jeopardy of being shut down (Means et al.,2014). To promote the growth of engineering and technology curriculum, the State of Utah Education System provided an opportunity for grant aid in the development of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum. The grant was called TICE (Technology Intensive Concurrent Enrollment). SUU took the lead on this grant opportunity by leading a state-wide team to develop a web-based engineering and technology curriculum. Data obtained in Phase I of the research was coupled with the concepts from the Quality Matters (QM) (Butcher & Wilson-Strydom, 2012). Collectively, this provided the theoretical framework Community of Inquiry (reference Literature Review). The course was titled Introduction to Engineering and Technical Design (IETD) and was developed during the 2012-2013 academic year.
Phase III
The IETD course was piloted by 13 different high schools across the state of Utah during the 2013- 2014 academic year. The pilot consisted of three different delivery methods, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1:
The updated course was available across the state of Utah in the 2014 Fall Semester, where 26 different high schools taught the IEDT curriculum. Again, data was collected from these courses and used to improve it in the next phase.
Phase IV
This paper focuses on phase IV. The details are presented in the literature review, research method and data analysis,
Contributions of this Research
The contribution of this research could help preserve the existing engineering and technology programs in rural high schools. This research could also provide the avenue to developing new programs. This Utah-specific data could be extrapolated nationally, with many remote schools throughout the nation benefitting from these findings (Cozzens, 2013). Specifically, this research focuses on the following objectives:
Delivery Method Number of Schools
High school instructor 10
High school instructor led with support by SUU Faculty (using GoToMeeting)
2
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1. Deliver the same curriculum using three different delivery methods.
2. Compare the results of the three delivery methods using RIAQ Rubric as the evaluation instruments. The RIAQ Rubric is discussed in detail in the methods section.
3. Determine if the data collected from the RIAQ Rubric provided conclusive evidence of an effective course.
Summary of the Research History
On a much larger scale, the contribution of this research could not only help preserve the existing engineering and technology programs in the state of Utah, but provide the avenue to starting new programs, particularly in rural high schools. There are numerous rural schools throughout the nation that could benefit from these findings especially with the dwindling resources.